Notes / Commercial Description:
Positive Contact is the second batch of the Imperial Belgian-Style Wheat beer that Sam and Ben brewed a couple months back. For this batch, we stepped up the spice and cider additions. Instead of 200 lbs of apples, Ben pressed 300 lbs of organic Fuji apples for a total addition of 25 gallons of fresh pressed cider, which was added to the whirlpool in order to really bring out the cider character. The amount of cilantro was nearly quadrupled with 4 lbs total, which was pureed with a portion of the cider and then added after the boil was done. The cayenne was doubled, but added directly before the beer was transferred from the kettle to the fermenter in an effort to minimize the burn while increasing the flavor and aroma contributed. A different type of wit yeast was used and then fermented slightly cooler to keep the yeast character minimal and act as a supporting role to the main players the cider and spices. Lastly, this batch was boiled for less time than the original batch, leaving the beer with a lighter straw color than the amberish hue of batch #1.

Overall, Positive Contact is characterized by its bright spritzy cider character and autumnal herbal quality derived from the cilantro, cayenne, and yeast.

Food meets beer. Literally, but no chewing required. Brewed with Dan the Automator (Deltron 3030) using Fuji cider, slow-roasted farro, cayenne and fresh cilantro, and fermented with a Belgian yeast strain. Except for being bit too sweet, this is an incredible display of collaboration and creativity.

Very drinkable, careful now! So many layers to this brew, you think you've tasted it all until you take your next sip and then it peels away another flavor or goes back to one you tasted on your first sip. A lot of fun drinking this beer. Thanks DFH!!

Positive Contact opens with an aroma that bears a distinct apple cider note, but not overly so, the sweet apple blended nicely with fresh wheat, banana, coriander, pepper, lemon, and an almost sarsaparilla earthiness. The fruit notes here are predominant, but underpinned nicely by earthy, spicy tones. Some touches of brown bread, caramel, and brown sugar add further sugary textures, these being darker and a nice counter to the bright banana, apple, and lemon. As a whole, the nose is very interesting, smelling much like a Belgian cut with apple cider, with a few funky earthy notes thrown in for good measure. My only qualm is that one of these funky earthy notes bears, at least to my nose, a strong resemblance to dry dirt, and doesn’t mix well with the other fragrances.

On the tongue, the beer opens with strong banana, clove, coriander, and pepper notes, bearing much resemblance in this respect to a Belgian. The differences are made more apparent by the presence of a spicy cayenne pepper burn on the soft tissues (the flavor itself hardly noticeable, however), and a good apple cider undercurrent. It’s important to note that the apple cider blends extremely well, and in fact might not be recognized as apple cider were it not printed on the label; it could be easily mistaken for malt-based apple fruit esters. Some brown bread notes lie just below, joined by brown sugar. The aftertaste is a continuation of the main flavors, with a slight increase in the cayenne pepper burn, and lingers for a good while. Very late in the aftertaste, however, a stale apple cider flavor coats the tongue and soft palate, leaving--at least on this reviewer’s tongue--a slightly waxy feel. Mouthfeel is medium, and carbonation is medium.

Overall, this is good beer, and represents the masterful blending of strange ingredients typical of Dogfish Head’s brews. The results is a nicely balanced beverage that bears only slight reminders of the 9% ABV, and includes an excellent series of fruit and spice flavors. The tail end of the aftertaste is strange and, in some ways, unpleasant, marking one of the beer’s few weaknesses. Still, this is worth trying.